


Steve Finds his Family

by PoeticJustice84



Series: Steve McGarrett Finally Gets a Family [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Episode: S10e07 Ka 'i'o (DNA)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-07 11:51:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21457612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoeticJustice84/pseuds/PoeticJustice84
Summary: Okay, so Alex O'Loughlin broke me with this episode. I just wanted Danny to wrap Steve up in a blanket and bring him home so his Ohana could look after him. The writers will never let it happen, so I did it my damn self. In this coda, Steve finds out that family isn't always blood and when you're good to most people, they respond in kind. Ma and Pop Williams are going to spoil him rotten.
Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Series: Steve McGarrett Finally Gets a Family [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1601437
Comments: 54
Kudos: 376





	1. Steve Finds His Family Chap. 1

Danny sat on the bed and listened as Steve showered and shaved that monstrosity of a beard off. There were tons of things he should be doing, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave. Steve had been quiet and stoic since Danny first saw him in D.C. Hell, according to Junes, he’d been stoic and quiet pretty much the entire time. Danny knew even the strongest of men break, though. With Steve it really was all about making him feel comfortable enough to open up and let go.  
“Daniel, hand me those bags and I’ll start some laundry.”  
How could he forget his parents were here? In Steve’s house? And apparently offering to do laundry.  
“Ma, you don’t have to do that. Just having you guys here is amazing. When you badgered me into telling you what happened, I didn’t intend for you and Pop to hop on a plane and be here when I brought him home.”  
Clara sat beside her boy, placed her dainty hand in his, and squeezed gently.  
“That man in there, your…friend, is such a wonderful person.”  
Danny smiled sadly. His mother should try telling him something he didn’t know.  
“Yeah but try telling him that.”  
“Oh, I intend to do just that. Do you know he calls us every year on the anniversary of Matthew’s death just to check on us? He always apologizes for bothering us and he never talks long. He says he just wants to make sure we’re alright. And he’s so God damn polite Daniel. We talk about Grace and Charlie all the time. He talks to your dad about those God-awful motorcycles. He always calls on our birthdays and sends something at Christmas. When I saw him coming off the plane, he just looked so lost.”  
Danny used his free hand to swipe at the tears on his mother’s face not noticing his own.  
“I didn’t know he’d been doing any of that. Do you want me to tell him to stop?”  
Clara huffed and threw her hands into the air.  
“No! I want you to tell him to stop being so damned civil and act like my other kids. Loud and messy and opinionated and needy and human!”  
“Spoiled, don’t forget spoiled, Hun. All of them.”  
Clara laughed as human Eddie came into the room to sit beside her. Canine Eddie wasn’t far behind him. Danny wanted to argue that he wasn’t spoiled, but he knew better. He had two parents and a whole host of siblings, nieces, and nephews who loved him and always had. Even with him being thousands of miles away, he knew anyone of them was always just a phone call or a skype away. Some people didn’t have that. Steve didn’t have that; had never really had that. Danny was beginning to wonder if anyone had ever really considered Steve’s feeling on anything.  
When the shower cut off, human Eddie motioned his wife toward the door and grabbed the laundry.  
“When he feels up to it, bring him down. He doesn’t need to be alone right now. I’m going to throw something on the grill. Don’t look so worried. Lou and Nahele showed me around when we got here.”  
Once they were gone, Danny flopped back onto the bed and wondered when he entered the fucking Twilight Zone. Hearing the bathroom door open, he sat up to see what awaited him. What he saw was like a punch to the gut. The dark purple circles under Steve’s eyes were more pronounced without the beard. His face was slimmer than it had been all those weeks ago, too. He just looked so exhausted.  
“Babe, you look terrible. Want to try to get some sleep?”  
Steve shook his head no while glancing around the room.  
“What are you looking for?”  
“My bags. I need to start some laundry.”  
Danny pulled him down to sit beside him.  
“Pop took them down. Ma is going to start them while he grills something.”  
Danny watched as Steve closed his eyes and sighed, those ridiculously long eye lashes feathering on his too sharp cheek bones.  
“Danny, you shouldn’t let them do all that. It’s my mess.”  
Danny tapped the clean-shaven chin and left his fingers there until those ever-changing eyes met his.  
“First of all, none of this has ever been your mess. You just got tossed into it. Second, my mother just sat here telling all the stuff you do for them. That’s a conversation we are having by the way. Third, you’ve managed to ingratiate yourself into my parents lives so much so, even from thousands of miles away, that you have become another child to them. Congratulations, babe. Do you know what that means, Steven? Do you have any idea?"/p> 

Steve leaned into Danny and shook his head again.  
“I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”  
“You are correct. It means that to my wonderful, loving, amazing, nurturing parents, you are now just one of us. As such, you’re going to get the full treatment. Ma will feed you and bring you blankets and tea or coffee. Booze if it’s bad enough. She’ll let you fall apart and then help you put yourself back together. Pop, he’s quieter about it. He’ll sit with you until you’re ready to talk, then he’ll listen. He’s solid as a rock. You know that nothing can touch you when he’s there. You will be spoiled rotten, babe. Then when you do something stupid, Ma will yell at you for scaring her then hug the shit out of you and Pop will get overprotective, not letting you out of his sight.”  
“So, you just what, got the worst of both?”  
“See, there, you’re coming around already. Making jokes, thinking you’re funny. Seriously, though, I’ll find out where they’re staying and have Lou or Tani get them out of your hair. I don’t want to leave you alone or I’d take them myself.”  
Not that you, Steven couldn’t use some smothering. I’m fairly certain that’s why this is so hard for you now. No one ever really tried to parent you before. You don’t have a clue how to let anyone in to help you.  
“Danny don’t…don’t be rude. They’re your parents.”  
“So, it’s fine for them to stay in your house, but doing our laundry is out of the question?”  
“I’m sure they didn’t come all the way to Hawaii to do laundry.”  
“No. They came because I said you were all fucked up and needed to be around people who love you.”  
“Danno.”  
The quiet plea was all Danny needed to wrap Steve up in his arms and hold him. Steve still refused to cry, though, so Danny just rubbed his back and neck, ran his blunt fingers through the dark hair, massaging Steve’s scalp as he did. Then Steve’s stomach rumbled.  
“Before I showed up in D.C., when and what did you last eat?”  
“I don’t…I don’t know.”  
“Lucky for you, I come from people who feed you to show you how they feel. Come on, Pop has stuff on the grill.”


	2. Steve Find his Family Chap. 2

“I messed up, Mar. I couldn’t save her.”  
Danny pushed up off of the door frame and tiptoed into the dinning room where Steve sat rigid on the edge of one of the chairs, his hand in his hair as his voice broke.   
“I’ll tell you everything when you get here. Yeah. I know, honey, I’m so sorry. Tell her Uncle Steve loves and misses her. And be careful. Love you too.”  
Danny wrapped his arms around Steve’s tense shoulders and kissed the top of his head as he took the phone from his boyfriends’ hand. Steve stood and walked out of the room, unable to listen to the conversation anymore.  
“Mary? It’s Danny. Sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what this must feel like. When you know the flight information, text me, okay? You know how he is. He’s hurting but trying to hide it. I’m taking care of him. Just make sure you and Joan are alright. I promise, honey. Be careful.”  
Danny ended the call and went in search of Steve, who was wound so tight Danny was sure he was going to break at any given moment. Following the quiet voices, he found his missing lover in the kitchen, leaning against the counter trying to control his breathing as Eddie fixed them both cups of coffee and stayed as close to Steve as was physically possible.  
“Is the taste all that different?”  
Danny saw Steve shake his head no and plop a spoonful of butter into each cup before picking up his own and taking a small sip.   
“It supposedly boosts brain function, though if you use Steve as an example, clearly that isn’t the case.”  
Eddie grinned behind his coffee cup as Steve scowled. At least he wasn’t on the verge of tears anymore, although, tears would be welcomed at this point. Steve had lost almost his entire family now, still he refused to shed tears.  
“Are you implying I’m an idiot, Daniel?”  
“Ah, no, see, I wasn’t implying anything. I was merely informing my father of your skewed views on coffee and normal brain function.”  
“Strangely, I feel insulted.”  
“Good. You should feel insulted. Butter in coffee is disgusting and you, you giant animal have no idea what normal brain function even looks like.”  
Danny grabbed a cup and poured himself some coffee, sans the butter and looked up at his father as Steve made his way into the living room, flipping him the bird behind his coffee cup as he folded himself up on the couch. Leave it to Steve to be afraid of offending the parents with the middle finger.  
“He was shaking when he came in here.”  
Human Eddie sounded concerned.  
“Yeah, he just told Mary about Doris. He almost lost it. I had to finish talking to her. She was so upset, Pop. I hate the fact that she isn’t here.”  
“So, you can dote on her, too?”  
“Hey, I come by it honest. You and Ma do the same thing. Did he say anything before I came in?”  
“Just that he was sorry for being for rude and preoccupied; for not being a better host.”  
Danny could have cried after hearing that. Steve had just lost his mother for the second time in his life and he was apologizing for not being in better.  
“For not being a better host? For being preoccupied? What the hell? He just lost his mother! Again! Pop, I’m so lost with him right now.”  
Eddie leaned against the counter and stood shoulder to bulky shoulder with his son as they sipped their coffee.   
“You just keep showing him that he has your support. Encourage him to open up. I don’t think he does that easily. It might take a little while, but he trusts you so completely Danny. Don’t forget that.”  
“I just want him to be ok, Pop.”  
Eddie threw an arm around his kindhearted son and pulled him into a hug offering whatever comfort he could.  
“He’s going to be alright, son. We’ll make sure of it.”  
“He’s just never had people who cared before.”  
“Well now he does.”  
Eddie cupped Danny’s face in his hands and kissed his boy’s forehead before grabbing the cell phone and his coffee and heading out to join Steve.   
“Lou called while you were with Steve. He’s worried. Call him.”  
Danny took his phone and scrolled until he found the contact he wanted. If anyone could understand his frustration with Steve’s inability to process his emotions, it was Lou Grover. The two of them had watched as Steve buried anything resembling real emotions for years. All the while trying to combat the stress and anxiety it caused with the Steve himself.   
“Hey, Lou, do you have a minute to talk?”


	3. Steve Finds his Family Chap. 3

The funeral had been tragically beautiful, Danny mused as he stood in the backyard watching Steve. Steve had been stunned to see the sheer number of people there to support him. Once everyone had gone though and the house had been righted to Steve’s OCD neatness, Steve checked on Mary and Joan; made sure they didn’t need or want anything, the man had slipped on some shorts and headed out into the ocean. The hour Steve spent in the water had to have exhausted his already tired body. Looking at the hunched figure in the sand now, though, it was plain to see Steve’s brain was still working on overdrive. 

Typical Steve. Try to find a rational reason for everything. Danny had learned years ago, that sometimes, logic said fuck it and took a back seat to emotions. His parents had been amazing at teaching all of their children to deal with those pesky little creatures. When Billy had drowned and he had stupidly thought being strong, being a man, meant dealing with that death in silence, his father had just sat with him in his room until he broke. The man had scooped him up and held him until Danny felt human enough to venture out into the rest of the world again. The therapist his mother took him to see every Wednesday for a year after that had said the same thing. Problem now was, Steve had never really had anyone to tell him that. 

“He blames himself, Danny. He’s still replaying everything in his mind trying to figure out what he could have done differently to ensure a better outcome.”

Danny opened his arms as Mary slipped into them and wrapped her own around his waist, never hesitating when it came to affection. Mary wasn’t as touch starved as Steve seemed to be, seeking out affection, only to shy away from it when he had it. Danny had to remind himself that even after John had shipped them both off to the mainland, Mary had been raised by Deb. Sweet, gentle, kind, nurturing, funny, playful Deb, while Steve had basically finished raising himself in an environment where showing any kind of emotion was not only frowned upon, but most likely taunted and bullied, and most certainly discouraged.

“You know, even when we were kids, Mom and Dad never really allowed crying or any sort of moping around. This didn’t just start after she died the first time. They weren’t ‘hands on parents’ you know.”

Danny couldn’t stop the giggle that bubbled up and out past his lips. Leave it to Mary to find the humor in all this mess.

“The first time? Really Mary?”

“Well how else was I supposed to say it? Fuck not everyone gets to bury their mother twice. But we do. Thanks Mom.”

Mary swiped at the tears that were forming in her eyes now, trying to ward them off. He had seen Steve do something similar on several occasions. An old habit learned in childhood that was difficult to break even now. 

“The first time she died, Aunt Deb was amazing. I mean, I put up a barrier around myself, you know. To keep everyone away so they didn’t see me fall apart. We weren’t allowed to do that. We dealt with things and moved on. No messy crying, no moping around about it, no coming to terms with it. In our family that’s just the way it was. Deb, though, she taught me that I had a safe place to deal with everything. I could cry and stay in bed all day if I didn’t feel like dealing with anyone. I could scream and yell about how unfair life was. She never told me to suck it up or to dry the tears. I always hated that. Dad’s thing was always ‘dry those useless tears’, while Doris always told us to grow up, suck it up and deal with it. Danny, I don’t think they knew how to deal with their own feelings. Letting us deal with ours probably never even occurred to them.”

Danny agreed. People could change though, when they had to. 

“My parents were raised the same way. They recognized how detrimental that was to their children, so they changed. I can’t imagine either of them telling me that. I just…I’m sorry you guys didn’t have that. I mean would you ever tell Joanie that? No, because you know it isn’t right.”

Danny kissed the top of Mary’s blonde head and glanced back at the house when he heard the commotion.

“Your mom, Eric, and Grace are playing hide and seek with Charlie and Joan.”

“In the house?”

“…yeah, Danny, where else would they play?”

And fuck with that facial expression and that tone of voice, she sounded so much like her condescending older brother.

“Oh, I don’t know, outside like normal human beings, maybe?”

“None of us have ever been normal, have we? Here, he’s bound to be thirsty after being in the water so long. Don’t let him hide anymore Danny. Oh, and stop trying to hide the fact that you two are a thing from all of us. Charlie ratted you out. He didn’t intend to and Grace clamped her hand over his mouth to shut him up, but it was too late. It didn’t really matter, though, we already knew. Be good to him, Danny. He deserves to have someone love him completely.”

Mary thrust two coconut waters into his hands, kissed his stubbly cheek and headed back inside. 

“The Twilight Zone. I now live in the fucking Twilight Zone.”

Slipping quietly back into the house, so as not to disturb the ongoing hide and seek game, Danny snagged a blanket from the couch before heading back out and settling onto one of the loungers, prepared to wait out his boyfriend. He didn’t have to wait long. Soon Steve’s shoulders started to shake, whether from emotion or exhaustion, Danny couldn’t tell. Either way, though, a breakdown was inevitable. Steve angrily dug the heels of his hands into his eyes and held his breath in a vain attempt to stop the onslaught. Bolting up, he headed Danny’s way.

“Here, drink something before you dehydrate.”

Danny watched as Steve took the water and gulped down a few swallows, trying to control the emotions bubbling up to the surface. It was a useless endeavor though. Steve had pushed down too much for too long and now this, being witness to his mother’s actual death, was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. 

Grabbing Steve’s hand, Danny tried to pull him down onto the lounger, but Steve stubbornly refused, still fighting the grief for all he was worth. 

“I just…I don’t know how to do this. I’m just not ready to be an orphan again, Danno.”

Danny didn’t give him a choice this time, he tugged on Steve’s long gorilla arm until the taller man was practically lying on top of him. Danny wrapped his solid arms around his lover and ran his blunt fingers through Steve’s hair, kissing the top of the man’s head as Steve lost his battle with the grief. 

Danny knew the second Steve finally gave in and let himself fall. Steve’s hand bunched up in Danny’s shirt, silently pleading for someone, anyone to stay with him.

“I’ve lost her twice, Danny. I’ve lost almost everyone. I just can’t do it anymore. I can’t! I can’t keep losing the people I love.”

Steve tried to curl into himself then, make himself as small as possible. Less likely to be noticed while he was overcome with gut wrenching agony. It saddened Danny to think that Steve must have done this too many times before, when there was no one there to comfort him. Not anymore. Not ever again. Danny wrapped the blanket around them and hugged Steve tighter to him, silently letting Steve know that Danny had his back as he dealt with all the pain and loss.

“I’ve got you, babe. Danno’s here. You’re so safe, babe. This is alright. Danno’s got you, sweetheart.”

The small cries turned to tortured sobs as Steve grieved for so many things. His mother’s death yet a second time, the damn radiation poisoning, losing Joe White who was too sketchy for Danny’s liking, but so much like a second father to Steve. Freddie Hart, a best friend when Steve was still so afraid to let anyone get that close, hearing his father’s murder over a cell phone, a childhood torn away from him and his family ripped apart right when he needed them the most. 

Danny gently ran his hands up and down Steve’s quaking back, through his dark hair, planted a kiss on Steve’s tanned forehead. Promised to never leave Steve to deal with anything all alone again. 

“You always have me, babe. I love you so damn much it hurts sometimes.”

Steve tightened his hold on Danny’s shirt again, still unable to comprehend why Danny wasn’t leaving, but so afraid to say anything for fear of losing the only real comfort he had ever had. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I didn’t mean to lose it like that. I didn’t…please don’t leave, Danno.”

Danny felt his own tears drip into Steve’s hair. Why had the world been so fucking cruel to this man? Steve McGarrett hid it well, but he was just a half-baked cookie. Soft, gooey in the middle. He wasn’t indestructible, as Steve himself seemed to think from time to time. He was very much human and too willing to see and embrace that in others, while hating it in himself. Mary was right. Steve deserved to be loved, to be cherished unconditionally. 

“I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me, babe.”

Danny felt Steve’s breathing even out and his body sag against his own. Steve was asleep. Safe in the knowledge that, even after the breakdown, Danny was there and not leaving. 

“When you wake up pal, we are talking about all this shit. We are sitting down with everyone and telling them all about us.”

“You might want to teach your youngest child how to keep secrets better. Pop and I already knew, but had we not known, Charlie’s emphatic ‘Danno had a crush on Uncle Steve!’ might have given it away. Give Grace points for threatening his life though. God love her, Danny, she tried to shut him up, he’s just too much like you. Talk, talk, talk.”

“Wonder who I get that from? Finished the game of hide and seek already?”

“Is he asleep?”

Of course, his mother would ignore everything but what she wanted to know.

“Just conked out about five minutes ago. So, thank you for waiting to come down. He would have freaked out had anyone else seen him crying like that. How did the topic of me dating my partner come up in a conversation with my baby boy anyway, Ma? Are you bribing him with those sour gummy worms the dentist says he isn’t supposed to have in exchange for the dirt on us?”

“Daniel you can be so dramatic. Honestly I don’t know where that comes from.”

“Honestly, you don’t?”

“To answer your first question, I asked him how school was going. He was telling me about his friends and one of the little girls, her name is Kai, he said he had a crush on her. We were teasing him about it and he just popped out about you and Steve.”

Sitting beside her son, Clara rubbed tender circles on Steve’s back when he began to stir. As he quieted, she left her hand in the middle of his back, ghosting her fingers slowly over his spine.

“Ah, Kai, yeah, we meet her, her mother and stepfather at the park at least once a week to play. We usually bring Eddie…canine Eddie, not Pop. Kai loves dogs. They can’t have one until they get moved into their new house, next month.”

“So, you know all about the little love birds?”

“From what we hear from Ailani and Derek, the crush is mutual. Grace and Steve think it’s adorable. I think, hell Ma, I don’t know what I think.”

Clara laughed softly and continued to ghost her hand over Steve’s back, neck and head. 

“Want to know what I think?”

“Always, Ma.”

“I think it’s a really good thing you found him all those years ago.”


	4. Steve Finds his Family Chap.4

“Daniel, tell your boyfriend that if he doesn’t stop trying to shoo me out of the kitchen and let me finish, there might be bloodshed.”

If a fight broke out between the two, Danny’s money was on his Ma. She had raised four kids and knew how to fight dirty, whereas Steve was too polite and well-mannered to fight back in any way against a tiny woman in her late sixties.

“You two are not dragging me into this, Ma. I’m Switzerland.”

Joanie and Charlie picked that moment to let their presence in the kitchen be known. In unison.

“You’re Switzerland?”

Danny sighed, already exasperated with his mother and Steve and it was barely even seven a.m.

“Do you see what you have done, either of you, do you care?”

Danny sipped his coffee as human Eddie did his best to explain the expression to the two youngest members of the household while Mary, the sneaky little winch stifled a giggle into her own coffee mug.   
Steve grabbed the eggs from the refrigerator and slide them onto the counter beside the stove. Next, he grabbed the cheeses, the peppers, the mushrooms, the fresh spinach, the onions, the milk, the salt, black pepper, and the garlic. Danny recognized the ingredients. Omelets, but not just any omelets. Oh no. This omelet was adored by the under twenty-one crowd.

“Ma, he’s making an old favorite. Charlie, go get your sister, tell her Uncle Steve is making your favorite omelets.”

“Did I miss something, Daniel?”

Danny explained the tradition to his mother as Grace chose that moment to wander into the kitchen, still in her pajamas, dark hair messy from sleep. She made a bee line for her father and Steve, hugging them both before Steve handed her a glass of pineapple juice and kissed the top of her head. After a few swigs of her juice, Grace hugged her grandparents and leaned against the counter beside her father.

“I heard them fighting over who was making breakfast. I guess Uncle Steve won?”

Danny bumped her shoulder and motioned toward his mother.

“It isn’t over yet, young one. Your grandmother doesn’t give up easily.”

“I know. That’s where you get it.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“Because it’s true. You act a lot like Gramma and Charlie and I act JUST like you. We hear that all the time.”

Mary giggled again.

“What is with you and the giggles this morning?”

Raising her eyes to meet Danny’s, Mary smiled and glanced around the full kitchen.

“This. We’ve just never really had it. Not like this.”

Danny could have kicked himself then. Family. His family, their family. Their larger than life family, all clustered into the small kitchen. Glancing back at Mary, her eyes filled with unshed tears. Danny smiled sadly.

“Danny, this is the first time it’s ever really felt like home.”

Opening his arms, Mary slide into them, so accustomed to the comfort like her brother might never be. The noise at the stove drew all the attention away from them, though. There stood Clara Williams, wielding a wooden spoon and Steve “SuperSeal” McGarrett with his hands in the air backing away in surrender.

“I’ve never spanked any of my children, Steven. Would you like to be the first?”  
“No ma’am. It’s all yours. Joanie, tell Mrs. Williams how you guys like your omelets.”  
Joan slipped up beside Clara and promptly informed her uncle that Clara had said to call her Gramma, before sharing just how Uncle Steve made the eggs.

“Did Gramma just threaten to spank Uncle Steve?”

Much to Steve’s embarrassment and Danny’s delight, Charlie was ever bit his father’s son, never missing anything that happened around him. Once the rumble of laughter died down, human Eddie bumped his grandson’s tiny shoulder.

“Yes, I believe she did. She sounded like she meant it, too.”

Danny slung his youngest child over his shoulder and handed him off to Grace as he rounded up Joan. 

“Gramma has breakfast under control, why don’t you guys set the table outside and let Eddie out for a run?”

“Well, if you insist, but I gotta tell ya, kiddo, I haven’t run anywhere except to the bathroom in ages.”

“Ha ha! Everyone’s a comedian, huh Pop?”

With the kids laughing and his father helping Grace with the little ones, Danny kissed Mary’s head and smiled at her.

“I’m going to find your stubborn brother. Make another pot of coffee?”

“I’m on it, Danno.”

“Oh God, not you too.”

“Joan said you told her it was okay to call you that.”

“Joan is my little niece.”

“And I’m practically your sister-in-law. Now go check on Steve. He doesn’t really know how to do the whole family thing.”

Danny smiled sadly at her again. He was sure Doris and John McGarrett hadn’t intended to fuck their kids up, but they had done just that. In exceptional ways. So much of that damage could never be undone, but with people who loved them around, maybe it could be processed and dealt with finally.

Spotting Steve sitting on the stairs, Danny plopped down beside him. The silent tears almost did him in. Seeing Steve so worn and hurt shattered parts of him he hadn’t realized he still had.   
“Her kids, Danno.”

“What?”

“Your mother, she said HER kids. I’ve never really felt like anyone’s kid.”

Danny threw his arm around his boyfriend and pulled him close. Doris’s death had brought up so many issues for her children. 

“How did you not know they think of you as theirs? And now that they know Mary, she’s just going to become another sister. Joan will be another granddaughter.”

“Yeah, but Danny they deserve that. I don’t. I’ve done terrible things in my life. Awful things.”

“Umhm. To protect people like us. Like me and Joan, or Charlie and Grace. That was your job, babe and as shitty as it is, you did it astoundingly well from what I’ve been told. But you know what? That same man, the man you seem dead set on hating, has done so much good for everyone but himself. You’ve been there for me, Tani, Junes, Lou, Chin, Kono, Grace, Charlie, Mary, Nahele, Catherine, Joe, your mother, Adam, Kamekona, Sang Min, Jerry, Grace, Max, my parents, hell, you’ve even helped out my ex wife because of Grace and Charlie! You do so much for everyone else, babe. Why don’t you deserve to be happy?”

Steve shook his head and buried it in his hands. Danny slipped off the stair and knelt down in front of his best friend, sliding his fingers under Steve’s chiseled chin and jaw forcing those sad eyes back up.  
“One of these days, I’m going to make you see how amazing you are. I have a whole house full of people to help me do it too.”

Danny hugged him close as more tears spilled over. Rubbing Steve’s back, Danny felt every tremor, every ounce of tension Steve refused to let go. 

“Do you want me to tell them to leave? You know I will. If having them here upsets you this much, then they won’t want to be here.”

“It isn’t their fault I’m this broken. I just…I’m not a good son to anyone, Danno. I’m not! Just look at what I let happened to Doris and my dad. I just don’t want them to realize what a disappointment I am. I can’t be good for anyone. I don’t know how. You should leave too. Take the kids and go before something else happens.”

Danny’s tears came slowly, more from anger than anything else. Why had no one in Steve’s life tried to do good for him? Why had they let him continue to believe any of this?

“If I could go back in time, I’d knock the hell out of everyone who supposedly cared about you. People who love you and care for you don’t let you go through life not knowing how much you are loved and wanted. They just don’t, babe.”

Danny kissed Steve’s wet eyelids, his tear stained cheeks, the bridge of his nose, the cleft in his chin, and finally those pale pink lips. 

“You are so loved and wanted, Steven and I am never going to let you forget it.”

Danny wrapped Steve back into his arms and let him cry. This was about so much more than his mother’s death. Too many people had let Steve down when he needed them the most. Danny was more determined than ever not to be one of them. 

“That’s why you do it. That’s why you always go out of your way to help everyone. No one ever did it for you, and you know how much it hurts. That’s why Grace, Charlie, Nahele, and Joan have always known how much you love them, that when they need anything, you’ll be there. Because no one ever really told you that did they? I really want to hurt some people right now.”

“Yeah, well most of them are already dead, so good luck with that.”

Danny huffed out a laugh at the inappropriateness of that sentence especially coming from Steve. Maybe he was finally starting to let the exhaustion show. Grabbing a handful of tissues, Danny handed half of them to Steve and kept the other half for himself.

“Want to have breakfast now? I’m starving.”

Steve’s stomach growled at the thought food and the smells coming from the kitchen. 

“Danno, I don’t mean to keep doing this. I know it’s stupid.”

Danny held up his forefinger.

“Stop that shit right now. This is okay. It isn’t stupid. You’re grieving, babe. For so many things.”

“No one’s ever really let me do that until I met you.”

“I can see that. I’m just glad you trust me to help you.”

“You’ve never hurt me and no matter what kind of trouble I get myself into, you always find me and bring me back.”

“That is never going to change, babe.”

Danny kissed him again, slowly; savoring the taste of toothpaste, coffee and that damn pineapple juice. 

“I love you; I know you know that.”

“Danno, I think I’ve been in love with you since I met you.”

The clearing of a throat brought them both back to the present. 

“If you boys are done, breakfast is ready.”

“Thanks, Pop. You couldn’t have yelled?”

“Your mother wanted me to check on Steve.”

Danny huffed as he stood and reached out a hand to help Steve up. Neither of them was as young as they used to be.

“He’s probably been there for ten freaking minutes. He’ll tell Ma everything!”

Steve smiled at Danny’s animated over the top gestures. He didn’t think he could do any of this without him. He hoped he never had to find out.


	5. Steve Finds his Family Chap. 5

The knock at the front door was unusual. Most people, well, Danny anyway, just came in without thought to what might be going on behind the door. Most of their friends knew to just open the door and enter. 

“It’s open!”

Danny stopped mid stride and watched as the door slowly opened and Junior stepped quietly into the house. Forgetting the lumber balanced on his shoulder, Danny sent a perplexed look at his younger coworker.  
“Junes, why did you knock? You live here.”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t sure if, um…I didn’t want to intrude on a family thing.”

Danny felt his heart break a little with Junior’s admission. Not only did he hurt for Junior, but in that moment, looking at Junes with his big wounded eyes and the hurt he couldn’t quite manage to hide, Danny saw Steve. A much younger Steve with the same big, sad eyes trying desperately to hide how hurt and upset he really was from a world that would only add to his misery. He couldn’t let Junior go through life the way Steve had been left to. He wouldn’t let the kid suffer like all those people had let Steve for years. They were both going to know people cared.

Placing the boards against the wall, Danny grabbed the younger man and hugged him. Junior stood stock still for a fraction of a second before accepting the affection and leaning into the embrace. Pulling back, Danny cupped the side of the kid’s face and looked directly into those deep eyes.

“Junes, bud, you live here. If anything, my parents intruded on you.”

“Yeah, but they’re family, Danny.”

“You and Steve are just going to tear me right apart. I just know it. Junior, you’re family too. You, Tani, Quinn, Lou and his bunch, Jerry, Eric, Noelani. Hell, we’re all one big happy family. You don’t get replaced just because the extended family comes to visit. Next time they’re here, I’ll have them in a hotel.”

“You don’t have to do that. I like staying at Tani’s. It’s just, this was the first place that felt like home in a really long time.”

“This is your home, Junes. Nothing changes that.”

Junior nodded his head that he got it and looked at the lumber leaning against the wall. Nothing had happened. He was sure Danny or Steve would have said something at some point. So?

“What’s with all the boards?”

“Well, I’m glad you asked. Steve’s been talking about adding a couple of small bedrooms and another bathroom for a while now. I guess he finally realized we’re all here to stay. Go grab another load and head out back.”

Danny watched him get to work before he picked up his own load and headed out back himself. He wondered if Steve realized just what he had done for Junior when he moved him in here. He still fumed that no one had done anything to help Steve when he younger and had no one to lean on. He couldn’t change the past, but he could set the groundwork for a future where both of them knew they had family that loved them.

“Ma and Pop took Charlie and Joanie to grab something for dinner. Nahele and Eric should be here in an hour or so. I’m going to have Junes text everyone else. Mary is filling out her transfer paperwork as we speak. She wants to go look at a house tomorrow. Pop told her he’d go with her.”

“Danny, I can do that. He shouldn’t have to do it.”

“Stop twisting on that damn ladder, you moron! Your shoulder isn’t fully healed yet!”

“I was just saying that your father doesn’t need to do anything while he’s here.”

“Babe, you guys are family. Just let him.”

“I… I like having them here. I don’t want him to resent being here. What if he gets tired of doing all this stuff?”

Danny held the ladder as Steve climbed down, intent on grabbing the measuring tape and heading back up.

“You and Junior are going to break me today; I can see it.”

“What’s wrong with Junior?”

Steve looked and sounded alarmed.

“Nothing now. He just needed to be reminded that he is also family and as such he is welcome in any family situation. He’s grabbing more material from your truck, by the way. Now move. You’re not climbing back up there.”


	6. Steve Finds his Family Chap. 6

Steve picked up his tea and headed for the couch. He would never admit this to Danny, but he was so glad to see him when the shorter man had shown up with Adam to take his place on the stakeout. The headache he had been fighting all day and most of the night just would not let up and now his throat was getting raw and sore. 

“Fuck! I don’t have time for this.”

Sitting on the couch, Steve pulled his legs up, so they were almost touching his chest as he sipped his tea. The tea warmed him but couldn’t cut through the chill that had taken hold. Damn his whole body hurt now. Maybe he just needed some sleep. He hadn’t been doing that much lately. Between the nightmares and the guilt that always weighed on him, sleep had become as elusive as the peace he sought more and more now. 

Finishing his tea, Steve debated getting up to take his cup into the kitchen, but just the thought of moving hurt. Groaning, Steve forced himself up and into the kitchen. Being tired was no excuse to leave a mess for someone else. As he hurriedly tidied the kitchen, Steve sent a quick text to Danny asking if they had gotten anything useful yet. 

Returning to the couch, he heard the creak of the hard wood. Maybe it was just someone trudging to the bathroom. Maybe he hadn’t woken anyone. Pulling his legs up again as quietly as he could, Steve placed his aching head on his knees and wrapped his arms around them. He was shivering now. Just great! There was that hardwood again. That sound reminded him of the days after he had lost his mother the first time when he had been unable to sleep and had paced the house trying to exhaust himself. It had never worked. His overactive brain saw to that. And now the coughing had started. 

The hand on his shoulder almost sent him through the roof. 

“Oh, sweetie, I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you okay?”

“Yes ma’am. Did I wake you?”

“Eddie’s snoring did that an hour ago. I was texting Danny and decided I wanted some tea. Do you want anything?”

“I actually just had a cup but thank you for asking.”

“I’m guessing it didn’t help your throat. You sound terrible. And your eyes are glassy which tells me you have a fever.”

Without warning, Clara reached up and placed the palm of her hand on his forehead, checking for a temperature. The heat she felt radiating off of Steve’s head before he flinched away concerned her. 

“Danny was right, you are sick. I’m going to grab something for that fever and a thermometer.”

Before Steve could react to anything, Clara grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped it around his shivering shoulders, smoothing it down as she did. He wanted to tell her he was fine, that she shouldn’t worry about him, but the gentle way she was tucking the blanket around him did him in. He couldn’t ever remember either of his parents ever doing anything like that. It seemed his neediness had overridden his good sense and his normally overactive brain had ceased all but the most basic of functions. 

“Better?”

To Steve’s surprise, he actually felt a little warmer. Whether it was from the blanket or Clara’s gentle touch, he wasn’t sure. 

“Yes ma’am. Thank you. You don’t have to do any of this though. You shouldn’t have to take care of me while you’re here trying to relax. I should probably just head to bed so maybe you or the kids or Mary or Mr. Williams won’t catch whatever this is. Danny would murder me if I let the kids get sick.”

Clara ran her hand through his disheveled hair and sighed. Her heart hurt for this man who was so good to everyone else but couldn’t understand why they wanted to return the favor when life seemed to be dead set on trying to destroy him. She promised herself right then, that before she and Eddie left, Steve McGarrett would know for certain that he was so loved and wanted. 

“Well, I’m pretty sure you didn’t let yourself get sick, so that notion is dead in water, kid. Now, is there anything else I can get you while I’m getting the thermometer?”

Steve shook his head and burrowed further into the warmth of the blanket, the guilt of Clara having to care for him already setting in. He worried that Danny would be upset with him for bringing home whatever bug had him so miserable. Fuck his head hurt! He really just wanted to curl up and die on his own. Why did the Williams family seem intent on ruining that notion?

Before he could contemplate that thought any longer, something was thrust into his hand. Fever reducers. Popping the two tablets into his mouth, he gulped the water in his other hand to make sure his scratchy throat could swallow them. 

“Alright, kid, let’s see just how hot you’re running.”

When the beep sounded, Steve craned his head trying to see the damage. The whistle beside him said it wasn’t good. 

“103.6. Damn, you don’t do anything halfway do you, kiddo?”

“Not usually.”

Steve watched as Clara placed the thermometer on the table beside the couch and tapped out what looked like a short text. She then reached up to probe his swollen throat. Gently, she felt his neck before sighing again. 

“Open up.”

Steve hesitated for a fraction of a second, then did as she instructed not wanting to risk a Danny like rant from the woman who seemed so much like his boyfriend. Thinking about Danny made his chest go tight. He wanted Danny here now. Logically he knew Danny was needed on the stakeout, but in his compromised state, he just really wanted Danny there to hold him and tell him it was okay to be so needy, so juvenile. 

“Well, do you want the bad news or the terrible news?”

“Neither.”

“Sorry, kid but it looks like you have Strep. Those little white spots on your tonsils are a dead giveaway.”

“I’ve never had it.”

“Never?”

Steve tiredly shook his head in answer to her question. He had always been fairly healthy. When he did fall ill, it was usually something he could handle on his own. 

“Well, I think with your fever being so high already, you should probably head to the ER. And I’m not hearing anything about waiting until morning. Let me grab my shoes and tell Eddie where we’re headed.”

Clara Williams was gone before Steve could tell her he could drive himself. What was it with these damn Williams people? He had taken care of himself for literal years before he met them. He could manage now he was certain. 

“Strep, huh?”

The sleepy voice in the darkness startled him. Had he woken everyone in the house? Fuck, he had been quiet he thought!

“Probably not. She’s most likely over reacting. She is related to Danny.”

Mary knelt down in front of him and grabbed his chin. Why did everyone seem intent on manhandling him lately?

“Say ahh!”

“You’re not funny.”

Opening his mouth again, Steve heard his sister gasp.

“Damn big brother, you need to have that checked. Do you want me to call Danny so he can come home and play doctor?”

Steve couldn’t tell her he really wanted Danny to come home. He couldn’t say how bad he actually felt. He was a grown man, for fucks sake! Mary must have seen something in his glassy eyes though, because she let the matter drop. When Clara returned with his favorite hoodie, he slipped it over his head and buried himself in it. Danny wore it so often when they sat out on the beach at night that is smelled like him now. His flip flops came next. He didn’t even protest when Clara grabbed his keys and ushered him out the door. He was looking forward to getting some blessed relief.


	7. Steve Finds His Family Chap. 7

Danny stood just outside the door, peering through the crack as he listened to his mother recount the time, he and his older sister had tied a couple of kids to the fence outside the middle school. In their defense the little assholes had been beating up on Matty for days and finally Danny and Stella had had enough of it. They had surprised the two stupid kids and had easily overpowered them. After tying the idiots to the fence, in the middle of January, he and Stella had returned home and drank hot cocoa as they watched Matty play with his remote-control fire truck. 

“Must you tell everyone you meet about that, Ma?”

Clara smiled as Danny kissed her cheek and headed for his still too pale, feverish boyfriend. The tale had gotten a few small grins from Steve, so Clara counted that as a win. Besides, she never said she wouldn’t have done the same thing. 

“Oh Daniel, it’s funny! Besides, those little cocksuckers deserved it.”

“Ma!”

“What, Daniel? That’s what they were. Don’t mess with my babies.”

Danny glanced at Steve who was wearing the smallest of smiles. He wondered if Doris or John McGarrett had ever really had their kids backs like that. The way Steve always seemed to think he had to go it alone told him they most likely had not. 

“Has Aiko said anything yet?”

Steve nodded, but before he could even open his mouth to speak, Clara piped up from her chair beside the bed.

“It’s strep. A really bad case of it, too. And he tested positive for the flu. Dr. Kaliki said he’s exhausted too, and he’s lost about twenty pounds, but given what he’s been through lately, I think it’s understandable. His blood work came back all jacked up.”

Danny began to worry that Aiko might want to admit Steve to the hospital. Steve would not be at all happy about that.

“Did she say anything else?”

Clara nodded at Steve, who had placed his aching head on his boyfriend's shoulder the minute Danny walked over. 

“Just an antibiotic shot and a few prescriptions. She’ll be back so we can go in a bit.”

Danny continued to run his warm hand up and down Steve’s back as they waited for the doctor to come back with the discharge papers. The fact that SuperSeal wasn’t acting like everything was fine was worrisome. Steve didn’t let his guard down in the best situations and this certainly wasn’t one of those. 

“When Aiko gets back with the discharge papers, I’m going to let Ma take my car and get your meds and whatever else you need while I take you home.”

“Okay, Danno”

“Babe, you are never this agreeable. I’m getting a little concerned.”

Steve burrowed into the hoodie that always smelled like Danny and the man himself.

“I’m sorry. I just…I haven’t felt this bad since I had Mono when I was a teenager.”

Steve never really talked about his past. Danny had had several conversations with Mary and Deb even, but rarely did Steve tell him anything about his family or his childhood. 

“Yeah? Were you still living here or had already left for the mainland?”

“I had already been sent away.”

Danny knew what that meant. Steve had been alone, again. He’d been little more than a child and he’d been alone. Danny would never and could never forgive all people who were supposed to take care of Steve and failed to do so. The boy who had been neglected when he needed someone the most had become a man who found it difficult to trust anyone with even the most minute things in his life. 

Danny saw his mother swallow her tears and stand to meet the doctor at the door. Once inside, Aiko eyed Danny.

“Why is it that one of you Five-0 people end up in here at least once a week.?”

“What can I say? We like to keep you on your toes.’

Dr. Aiko Kaliki was Clara’s age with long salt and pepper hair and a spunky attitude. She didn’t take any crap from any of them. She was also fiercely protective of the task force. Even before Steve had saved her daughter and grandson, Aiko had been protective. She seemed to sense that certain members of five-0 needed a gentle touch. 

“Well, you guys are getting too good at that. Commander, you have got to rest. I know that word isn’t in your vocabulary, but this is your body forcing you to do just that. You’re exhausted, honey. Take some time off, get yourself well.”

Steve nodded his head. He really just wanted to head home and fall into bed.

“Danny if he still feels this bad after a few doses of the antibiotic, get him in to see Dr. Lee or get him back here. Steven, you are extremely ill, please do not take this lightly. Clara, it was a pleasure to meet you. Keep these two in line as much as you can.”

After handing the prescription to his mother, Danny got Steve to his feet and headed out the door. 

“Let’s get you home and into bed, babe.”

“That sounds like a great plan, Danno. I need to apologize to your mom when we get home. She looked upset.”

“I think she’s just worried about you. You’ve had a hell of a year. All this shit is finally taking its toll on you. Are you warm enough?”

Danny watched Steve adjust the hoodie and sigh into the truck seat. 

“I never thought the heated seats would be useful. Now I’m glad you talked me into them.”

Danny cranked up the heat as he drove. It was eighty-seven degrees out and Steve was still freezing. 

“Someone’s still up. There’s a light on. I didn’t mean to wake the whole house. The kid’s will be so exhausted if I woke them.”

Danny hated the fact that Steve, as ill as he was, still worried about everyone but himself. 

“It’s just Pop. I talked to him before I got the hospital.”

“Great! Your parents are never coming back after this. I’ve ruined the entire visit.”

“Babe, you do realize they flew out here to see for themselves that you were alright? They knew it wasn’t going to be fun in the sun all the time. You’re still grieving, babe and now you’re sick too. They understand. They raised four kids. They’ve heard and seen just about everything.”

Danny exited the truck and waited for Steve to do the same, before heading into the house where he knew his father was waiting to see how Steve was doing. He still couldn’t understand how people could be so different. His Pop was waiting up to check on Steve and Danny seriously doubted if Doris or John had ever really done that. 

“Please don’t feel bad about this. They love you almost as much as I do.”

“I just don’t understand why, though.”

Danny stopped short as Steve entered the house. He had thought they were making progress. He had told his parents to take it easy with the hovering now he wished he had told them to go all out. Clearly Steve needed to see it to believe it. 

“Well, pal, that can be arranged. They’re here for another eight days.”


	8. Steve Finds his Family Chap. 8

There was a hand on his head, fingers in his hair. He detected the faint smell of jasmine. Clara’s perfume. There was whispering now. 

“…fever’s gone down some.”

Sighing into…the couch? Steve groaned as he tried to sit up. There were hands helping him up. Different hands than before. These hands were bigger, thicker. Danny was at work. Wasn’t he? 

“Woah, kid.”

A deep chuckle.

“Are you good if I let go?”

Steve thought he shook his head in the affirmative, but he couldn’t be sure. His brain was still fuzzy. The strong hands were still on his arms though, holding him in place, making sure he didn’t collapse. 

“I’m good.”

“Ok. I’m going to grab you something to drink. Water, tea, juice?”

“Water, please. Don’t think I can swallow anything else.”

The couch dipped just after Eddie stood to leave. Clara was back with the thermometer.

“Say ahh!”

Steve smirked.

“Ahh.”

So, Danny, Grace, and Charlie got that wicked sense of humor from her. God, there was no hope!

“Good boy.”

“Woof!”

Steve almost spit the beeping contraption out when he heard the bark from the kitchen. Clara covered her face with her hands and giggled. He supposed with four kids, a husband, and several grandchildren, she had just about seen it all. Before he could say anything though, Clara glared at him.

“What did I do?”

“It’s still over 100, kid.”

“At least it isn’t 104 anymore.”

“Thank goodness for that. You had me worried, bud.”

Steve didn’t know what to say to that. He wasn’t entirely sure why she would be worried. Usually the only times someone grew concerned was when he was questionable for a job or an op. This was neither. Clara must have sensed his confusion.

“Honey, you are family. I think you have been since Danny met you.”

“That was a really crappy week. Danny just seemed to get it. He was always there, even when I thought I didn’t want him to be.”

“He’s persistent.”

“I’m really glad he is. He’s pulled me out of countless situations because he just wouldn’t give up. Not all of those situations were work related.”

“Family doesn’t count favors, kid. That’s not the way it works. They just love you through it.”

Steve had the strangest urge to burst into tears. He would blame it on the illness and the complete exhaustion he just couldn’t seem to shake. He was so glad to see both Eddies come back with not only water, but an electrolyte drink as well. Normally he didn’t go for them, but since getting sick, food had not been his friend. He knew he needed to put something back into his system. 

“Thank you. You guys don’t have to do all this. You should be out enjoying this wonderful day.”

Human Eddie sat on the arm of the couch and stroked Steve's back absently as he sipped the flavored drink. That thick, heavy hand was so calming. Danny definitely inherited those hands. 

“We went for breakfast this morning. Took Joan to get some new hair clips and hair chalk. Mary said you slept like a rock the entire time. She actually poked you with the broom handle to make sure you were still breathing. You may have a small bruise on your arm, by the way.”

Steve huffed as he found the bruise just above his elbow. Were they 12? What the hell?

“I just don’t want either of you to regret coming out here. Danny misses all of you like crazy. I don’t want to be the reason you don’t come back out here. Danno should get to see you as often as possible.”

Without really realizing what he was doing, Steve leaned into human Eddie’s legs and closed his eyes while stroking canine Eddie’s head and ears. Pulling the blanket back around, Steve sighed and debated moving. He was just still so tired. Maybe human Eddie wouldn’t be too upset with him for essentially trapping the man on the couch. 

Human Eddie, with Clara’s help, sat down at the end of the couch and let Steve get comfortable. When they were finished, a barely conscious Steve was curled up with his dark head on Eddie’s thigh dozing again. 

“Eddie, I want to adopt him.”

Eddie Williams was fairly certain they already had.


	9. Steve Finds his Family Chap. 9

Danny kept glancing at his partner as they stopped at the traffic light. Steve had been quiet, unusually so since returning to work. Something was bothering his control freak boyfriend and as was Steve’s way, he tried to shove it down and pretend like it didn’t matter. It mattered. Steve needed to know it mattered. 

“Why do you keep looking at me? I know I’m a catch, but this is getting kind of creepy. I’m getting that pervert vibe from you at this point.”

“You paraded around the bedroom naked all morning. You bet your cute little ass I’m perving on you. But this is not the time or the place for that. Too many gawkers from the other cars. No, I just want to know why you seem to have gone semi mute lately. Do I need to practice my mime reading skills?”

“Mime reading? Really? No. I am not looking for a side job as a mime. Just thinking about some stuff.”

Danny could probably guess what had Steve so troubled. So many things in Steve’s life seemed intertwined, it was difficult, Danny imagined, to sort them out and try to process just one event without that leading to another. 

“Want to talk about it?”

“No.”

Danny switched tactics.

“Do you need to talk about it”

Steve took a deep breath and sighed as the light changed to green. 

“Probably.”

While the quiet admission stunned him, Danny didn’t make a great show of it. With Steve, any kind of perceived weakness in himself would send him running for the hills. Danny was trying to show the stubborn jackass that it wasn’t weak or childish to be human.

“I’m listening.”

Steve parked the car and leaned his head against the head rest with his eyes closed. 

“I know that. I always know that. Danno, you and the kids are without a doubt the best thing that has ever happened to me. And I’m trying so hard not to fuck it up.”

Would Steve’s issues ever allow him to just be happy without questioning it? Would this giant man child ever allow himself to just be content without wondering what he had done to deserve it? Or what he might do to mess it up? 

“Why would you think, even for one second, you were capable of screwing anything up? I am so in love with you, Steven, sometimes I still can’t really believe this is happening. I want to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. Grace and Charlie have always loved you. From that very first fist bump with Grace to you and Charlie practicing for the Indy 500 before bed. My parents cannot stop talking about how amazing you are. Pop was telling my aunt all about you yesterday.”

“The SEAL stuff?”

“No. Not the SEAL stuff, although, that is extremely impressive. He told her all about the you stuff. How you always help people and go out of your way for them. How you and Grace have this, this look when I go off on a tangent about something being too dangerous. It’s like you’re communicating without actual words. He told her about how you and Charlie and Joan build war ships and princess castles on the beach in the sand. Babe you have no idea how much my family adores you. Not the fierce Navy SEAL, though, Charlie loves telling his friends about him. No, they love the way you always put the kids first, the way you constantly try to make everything ok, even when you’re not. The way you always try to give all of us that family that we need so much. That goofy sense of humor that always leaves the kids giggling.”

“I was worried I might have upset your parents. I didn’t mean to be so…needy while I was sick. I don’t know why I was like that.”

“You’re concerned about being human in front of my parents? Babe, my mother will dote on you and love you up as long as you let her. Pop will too, he’s just sneakier about it.”

“I fell asleep with my head on his thigh. I didn’t mean to do it, though. I was just so tired, and my head hurt, and it just felt so safe, Danno.”

Why did Steve sound like he was confessing to some horrible crime when he said that? Was he afraid Danny would be angry with him? Opening the passenger door, Danny stepped out of the car and rounded the front of the Camaro before opening the driver’s door and crouching down to look at Steve. 

“Steven, look at me.”

Danny grabbed both of Steve’s hands in his and ran his thumbs over the knuckles and the fingers. Steve still had issues with being touched sometimes, especially when he was stressed or anxious, but Danny wasn’t daunted. He just figured he’d start small and work his way up. Steve’s long lashes finally lifted, and his eyes met Danny’s. 

“I need you to listen to me, Steven. I really need you to hear me right now. I am so damn glad you felt safe enough around them to relax that much. I promise you, Steve, that’s a good thing. Ma wants to adopt you, you know. She told Pop that SOMEONE should parent you.”

Steve barked out a wet laugh and wiped his eyes.

“She does realize I’m adult, right?”

“Well, you got taller, I’m still unsure of your adult status. It doesn’t matter though. She knows you need people in your life who love you. That’s all that matters. So, please don’t push them away. Let them be who they are.”

“I just…I know I’m…messed up. I don’t want that to drive them away. I don’t want that to drive you away.”

“Ok. That makes sense. It’s not going to happen, but I get it. Would you be open to something if I did it with you?”

“A therapist?”

“Umhm. I think you have issues that you haven’t even realized you have yet. I don’t want any of that to hinder your happiness. You deserve so much good in your life, babe.”

“Ok.”

“That was much easier than I thought it would be.”

“I don’t want to be confused all the time anymore. Logically, I know the way I was raised isn’t really normal, but I can’t understand why Doris and Dad would do that to us.”

Danny wrapped his thick arms around the shaking shoulders of his boyfriend and continued to offer comfort. He didn’t care that people might be watching them. Steve needed him. 

“When you feel steady enough, I’m going to call Lou and let him know we’re going to call it a day. The paperwork on the Kuakini case is finished. If they need us, they can call. Don’t argue with me about this. Just let me take care of you, alright?”

The barely there nod was enough for Danny. Steve must be in bad shape if he was willingly stepping back and letting someone else take the lead. When they got home, Danny planned to shower him with love and affection, leaving no room for doubt. 

“Give me my keys. You, my gigantic friend are in no shape to drive.”


End file.
